This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Llewellyn Jones thanks Scotch Plains voters

To the Editor:

 

I would like to express a heartfelt and sincere thanks to the voters of Scotch Plains for entrusting me with a seat on the Township Council. I am humbled by the support, and promise to work diligently for the good of all the residents of Scotch Plains.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I would also like to thank those who actively supported my campaign, helping me to get the message out about the issues that I believe are important that our town address, as well as those that I heard from so many constituents.

I also extend best wishes to my opponent, Mr. Beckerman, and thank him for his public service and his willingness to put himself forward as a candidate. Our system of government works best when we have good people willing to put themselves forward and debate the issues.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In this election we debated quite a few issues, and now is the time to address those issues with action.

The most immediate challenge facing Scotch Plains is next year’s municipal budget. We must move away from funding our regular operations with one-time, non-recurring items like funds from the sewer utility. We know that the report by the outside accountant who examined the sewer utility and the town’s finances concluded that funding existing township services next year will likely require a tax increase of $400k over the 2% cap.

It is important that residents understand that because Scotch Plains has in prior years had tax increases for the municipal part of the property tax bill of under 2%, the council now has the ability to raise taxes above the 2% cap without a voter referendum. There is something called a “cap bank”, which has no real money in it, but this bank records how much higher taxes could have been raised in the past without exceeding the cap. A simple example would be the council passing a budget with zero increase one year, then the following year they could have up to a 4% increase without voter referendum, using that year's allowed 2% increase plus 2% "banked" from the previous year. 

A tax increase above the cap would be undesirable, but actions taken this past year have put us in a position where that may be unavoidable. I pledge to work diligently with the professional staff to hold next year's tax increase as low as possible, while doing so in a way that is fiscally responsible so that the town remains on a solid financial footing and maintains its strong credit rating in the marketplace.

Aside from financial issues, I bring to the council support for initiatives such as downtown revitalization and improved electronic communication. Additionally, while I have expressed my strong reservations with the "joint meeting" structure for a police merger, finding savings through shared services remains a top priority. 

Again, I thank the voters of Scotch Plains for this opportunity to serve, and I will be working hard to show your trust is well placed.

Sincerely,

Llewellyn Jones


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?